How running affects our body: 6 aspects

Author: Darina Ladoga - amateur athlete.
2018-08-24

At least once in their life, a modern person who cares about their health has attempted to run. After all, running is the most accessible and straightforward form of physical activity.

I have been involved in sports since I was five years old. My athletic career has included everything from dance, athletics, bodybuilding, aerobics, pole dance, cross fit, stretching, yoga, to running itself.

All of the sports mentioned above were learned under the guidance of a coach who explained their essence, characteristics, and impact on my body—except for running.

Everyone who has run for a certain period can tell you about the euphoria that this type of physical activity brings, how it clears the mind, and how it makes the soul and body feel light. But these are just feelings, and I wanted to know how running truly affects my body. So, I thoroughly explored this question, and here’s what I found.

1. Decrease in Body Fat Percentage and Increase in Muscle Percentage

The strategy of almost any type of physical activity lies in reducing subcutaneous fat while increasing muscle mass. Some believe that muscle growth or even just toning can only be achieved by lifting weights. But this is actually a myth.

During running, just like during workouts in the gym, you can adjust the ratio of fat to muscle tissue. For instance, if your goal is to reduce body fat percentage, running can help with that. But only if you also create a caloric deficit. In other words, you need to both run and adjust your diet (you should burn more than you consume).

As for muscle loss, that is yet another myth. To dispel this, an experiment was conducted on participants of the Trans Europe Foot Race (an ultramarathon across Europe). Participants had to run nearly 4500 km over a few weeks. It turned out that the participants lost about 40% of the body fat but only 1.2% of muscle.

2. Metabolic Effect

There is a concept known as the metabolic effect or metabolic response, which is applicable to running as well. This effect is produced by exercises that can burn more calories during workouts and provide better results after training. The increased energy expenditure following these exercises leads to maximum oxygen consumption. In other words, once you finish running, the fat-burning process continues for several hours.

To put it simply, the intense stress that the body experiences during running knocks it out of biological balance, forcing it to expend significant energy to return to that balance.

3. Cleansing of the Blood Vessels

During running, a natural "cleansing" of the blood vessels occurs. The intense contraction of blood vessels during training affects their tone and elasticity. This happens due to increased blood flow. This process helps clear the blood vessels of lipid deposits.

4. The Body Becomes Younger

Yes, you heard it correctly... During running, your body becomes younger. This process occurs through the activation of cell breakdown processes. To initiate this process, the duration of the workout should be at least 30 minutes, preferably 40-60 minutes. Initially, old and sick cells are destroyed, after which new and youthful cells are synthesized.

5. Dead Cells are Eliminated

Many of us are familiar with the state of chronic fatigue. It’s that feeling when you wake up in the morning wanting to sleep all day, as if you had spent the entire night with your eyes open. One of the reasons for this state is the slow elimination of dead cells.

Every minute, millions of cells in our bodies die, and to eliminate them, a moderate-intensity load is required, such as slow running. Otherwise, after cell breakdown, the accumulated toxins are distributed throughout the body via the blood, poisoning it or causing a feeling of constant fatigue.

6. Increased Mental Activity

During running, breathing becomes more intense, and the body starts absorbing more electrons from the air. This entire process occurs in the lungs through gas exchange (as well as through the skin). When the number of electrons increases, overall performance improves.

We could talk about the benefits of running for a long time, but it’s better not to delay and finally start running in the mornings/evenings/lunchtime, or whenever, just find your pace and enjoy this sport. Your efforts will undoubtedly be rewarded with a healthy body.

I maintain my blog on Hype.ru, where I've written about running and its impact on the brain. I advise you to read it.